Out of the millions of immigrants who fight to come to the U.S. every year, retired boxer Ignacio Orestes Salazar Batista finally won the match.

It began many years ago in his hometown of Holguin, Cuba. Salazar’s cousin was going to the gym to spar, and Salazar, then 15, went along in case he needed to defend his cousin. He was afraid the more experienced boxer would try to do more than just box.

At the gym, Salazar was asked if he would like to put on gloves to spar. He had never seen boxing before, but he geared up for a loss that would lead to a career he never imagined.

Felipe De Oliveira Fiuza wants to make the Language and Culture Resource Center at East Tennessee State University more inclusive of international students, not just those with Hispanic heritage.

Fiuza joined the ETSU faculty in August 2017 as director of the LCRC and clinical assistant professor of Spanish. This literature scholar and translator says he is excited about the challenge of uniting the international community with the rich culture of East Tennessee.

“I am what people call a generalist in my field,” said Fiuza, “someone who can work in different areas.”